


Comfort Sweater

by DawnsEternalLight



Category: Batman - Fandom, Batman and Robin (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Bonding, Brotherly Affection, Brothers, Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 13:30:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7759624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DawnsEternalLight/pseuds/DawnsEternalLight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dick is gone again and Damian turns to the one thing that's helped him get over how much he misses his brother when he's there, an old favorite sweater of Dick's. While taking it from Dick's closet he's caught by the man himself and has to decide if he wants to explain his actions or not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Comfort Sweater

**Author's Note:**

> Written for tumblr's Dynamic Duo Week 2016 day 3 prompt: Shirt Thief

Damian looked one way and then the other down the hallway, eyes scanning the area for any unwanted visitors. When he was sure he was alone he darted out from his room and towards Grayson’s. He stood at the door for a moment listening. Nothing, not a sound came from his brother’s room. Not that he’d been expecting to hear anything, Grayson was out of town _again_.

Damian didn’t want to say he wasn’t happy about the oldest robin’s choice to continue his globetrotting, Grayson always had, what did he call it? Itchy feet or some other nonsense. On the same note he had been hoping that when his father had opted to bring Grayson back from Spyral that it would mean more time spent around his oldest brother. Obviously that hadn’t happened, right now it felt as if Dick had never left the spy organization.

He tamped down the spark of irritation at the thought. It was fine, he was lucky to be able to see Grayson at all after everything they’d been through. Damian had been dead, and Grayson gone after faking his own death. With them both ‘back’ he was just thankful for the times they got to be together, even if they were rarer than he would have liked.

He eased the door open and slid inside, making a beeline for Dick’s closet. He flipped through the clothes until he found what he was looking for, it was an old sweater that Dick had picked up in Bloodhaven. Damian knew it was one of his brother’s favorites, Dick wore it often when he was at the manor.

He tugged it off the hanger and pulled it on over his own t-shirt, snuggling the too large sweater close to him before taking in a deep breath. Beneath the fabric softener lingered the familiar scent of his brother. It wasn’t Grayson, but it helped ease the loneliness.

The act was something he’d done a hundred times. The first had been after his Father had told him that Grayson was dead. He’d done it a lot while he believed his brother gone, it was one of the few thing’s he’d had left of him. Then after he learned Grayson was back, he’d kept up the tradition when he didn’t see his brother often enough.

It wasn’t that he was lonely, he had his father and Pennyworth, Drake and Todd. Then there was Gordon, Brown, and even Cain. Thomas was living at the manor now, and he still saw Maya. He could even count Suren as a friend, or as close to one as two children of warring families could be. He also had his pets, so, no Damian wasn’t lonely. He just missed, Grayson.

He turned to leave and ran straight into a figure. He stumbled back towards the closet and hands grabbed him, steadying him. When he looked up he met the familiar blue eyes of his oldest brother. He blinked, and then realized he was in Grayson’s room, wearing Grayson’s favorite sweater. He jumped back a foot into the closet and wished he could hide in the clothes hanging around him.

“What are you doing here?” the question came out sharper than he’d intended it to, but Grayson didn’t seem to mind as he smiled at Damian with that amused look that was both curious and in the moment.

Dick’s hands went to his hips as he regarded Damian, “Finding my shirt thief apparently, I was wondering where all my favorite clothes have been disappearing off to. My guess was Jason, but I’m kind of happy to find out I was wrong.”

Damian bristled, but there was little he could do to escape. Why had instincts made him jump into the closet instead of around Dick? He felt like a cornered animal, stuck in a problem of his own making. How had his brother snuck up on him in the first place?

“I never keep them,” the words were defensive despite Grayson’s light tone and his brother frowned. That was not the reaction Damian was looking for, he didn’t want Dick finding out his real reasons for being here.

“I’m not mad, Dami. I do wish you’d asked to borrow the shirt first, but,” he shrugged.

Damian willed himself to relax, Grayson wasn’t here to make fun of him, he didn’t know why Damian had taken his sweater. He’d probably assumed Damian was cold, and hadn’t wanted to bother going after a blanket like Drake often did.

He eased the tension out of his shoulders and gave Dick his best smirk, “I’d ask if you were ever around to answer,” he said it as offhandedly as he could, hoping the words would stick, but at the same time hoping they didn’t.

He wanted Grayson to understand how he felt, and he wished his brother never found out. It would only be another burden added to his shoulders, another thing he’d have to wish he could fix, and Damian couldn’t bring himself to do that. Not when he knew Grayson, knew how his brother loved to keep moving, and keep travelling. He might long for the time when they were Batman and Robin, but that didn’t mean Dick felt the same way.

It wasn’t that he wanted them to be Batman and Robin again, he knew things changed, that nothing could stay the same forever, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t wish that they did.

Grayson’s eyes narrowed at him, a sign his plan was failing, “What’s up with you today? I thought you’d be happy I made it back early?”

“I am happy.”

“You’re not acting like it. I didn’t even get a hug,” Dick gave him his best fake hurt face, pulling his mouth into a deep pouty frown. Normally Damian would roll his eyes and allow Grayson a hug. Today? Today something _was_ off.

Grayson was right, there was something up, but it wasn’t something Damian was willing to talk about. His chest was starting to get that ache in it, the one he used to get when he thought Grayson was dead, or when they’d had a fight. He wanted to ball his hands into fists, instead he settled for gripping the hem of the overly large sweater.

Damian narrowed his eyes, “You surprised me, that’s all.”

Dick shifted, crossing his arms, “I’ve surprised you before, and you’ve been fine. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Grayson. Move so I can get out of your closet, it’s stifling in here,” Damian stepped forward, intent on pushing past his brother but Dick adjusted his stance so he was standing just inside the doorway, and blocking Damian’s way out.

Dick was giving him that look, the one he got when he was trying to work out a problem and was too stubborn to stop, “Not until you tell me what’s the matter.”

“Tt, I told you, nothing’s wrong.” 

Perhaps he should have told Grayson something, a little truth in a lie that would be enough to get his brother off his back, but even the thought felt wrong. He wasn’t going to lie to his brother, but neither was he going to tell him what was happening. It wasn’t as if anything really was wrong, it’s just how it was for Damian, and today he wasn’t dealing with it as well as he usually could.

Dick sighed, and his defensive stance relaxed into something more giving, “Damian, I know you. I know when something’s wrong. Tell me and maybe I can help?”

He wanted to, Damian knew the moment he told Grayson how upset he was over his brother never being there that the weight pressing on him would lift, but he couldn’t. Instead he set his jaw and shook his head.

“Is it Bruce? Is he being overprotective again? Or maybe you’re not happy with Duke being here?” Dick guessed.

“No, neither of those. I told you I’m fine,” Damian said, he didn’t want Grayson getting mad at anyone else because of him, but Grayson had that look that said he’d keep guessing until he got it.

“Then what about Jason? Did he do something? Or maybe it was Tim, he makes you angry often enough,” Dick mused.

“No, Grayson. None of them are who I’m mad at,” the moment he said it he knew he’d made a mistake. Dick had baited him, tricked him into giving up that he was upset and now he was stuck with the admittance, and Grayson had a victorious look in his eye.

“So, you are angry,” Dick crouched to look him in the eyes, “And your angry with me.”

Damian’s jaw tightened, “I’m not mad at you.”

“But you’re upset, this is about my sweater isn’t it?”

Damian started, his eyes going wide, “This has nothing to do with your sweater.”

“Of course it does,” his eyes glanced over the sweater, “You know, when you were dead I used to sneak into your room and take your shirts too? I couldn’t wear them, but just having them was like having a part of you.”

“That’s not—”

“Don’t lie, Little D. We’re more alike than you know,” Dick reached out and tugged Damian into a hug, “You know I miss you too, right? When I’m gone? I miss you all the time, sometimes so much it hurts.”

Damian was too shocked to fight the hug. He’d missed Grayson’s hugs. He used to hate them. He’d believed they were a sign of weakness. But he’d been wrong. Grayson’s hugs were strength. Strength to admit one’s failures, fears, and worries. They were comfort and a reminder that Damian was never alone, no matter how he felt.

He melted into his brother, wrapping his arms around Dick’s torso and burying his head in his chest. The ache in Damian fading the longer they stayed that way.

At last he pulled back, “When you’re done with the parliament, will you stay for a while?”

Dick grinned, “I’ll do my best. In the meantime, I’m going to trust you to keep my favorite clothes out of Jason’s hands. He has a bad habit of stealing them when I’m away.”

Damian grinned, “I believe that’s a fair deal.”

“Good. Now I came here for a reason, what would you like better a trip to the arcade or a prank I’ve been planning on pulling on Tim?”

Damian grinned, “Must you even ask, Grayson?”

Dick mirrored his smile, “I guess not, both then. Now the only problem is deciding which to do first.”


End file.
